NPB Wire Breaking

Author: NPB Wire Breaking Staff

  • Orix’s Keita Nakagawa files for domestic free agency; Hanshin reportedly ready with 4-year, ¥1 billion offer

    The Orix Buffaloes announced Nov. 5 that Keita Nakagawa, 30, has submitted the paperwork to exercise the domestic free-agent rights he earned this season, setting up a likely bidding war with the Hanshin Tigers.

    Key points

    • He joins a domestic FA class that already includes Carp ace Masato Morishita and catcher Shogo Sakakura. Hanshin has been scouting him and is reportedly preparing a deal worth up to four years and about 1 billion yen, according to Daily Sports and Sports Nippon.
    • Sports Nippon reported Hanshin could make its pitch as early as Nov. 11, the first day other clubs can negotiate. Players who file will be announced on Nov. 10.
    • Orix has already offered a multiyear deal with a raise and will let him re-sign after declaring, Sports Nippon reported. The paper also reported he does not intend to negotiate with other Pacific League clubs.
    • With Teruaki Sato heading to MLB via the posting system and the Central League adopting the DH next season, Nakagawa fits a clear need for Hanshin, Daily Sports and Nikkan Sports reported.

    In his own words

    “When I entered pro baseball as a seventh-round draft pick, I never thought I would become a player who earns free agency,” Nakagawa said in a statement released through the club. “When I imagined myself after my playing career ends, I wanted to make a decision I wouldn’t regret. I want to take my time and think carefully, including about how I’ll spend the rest of my baseball life.”

    The numbers

    A seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft out of PL Gakuen High School and Toyo University, Nakagawa won the interleague batting title as a rookie in 2019 (.386) and helped Orix win three straight Pacific League pennants from 2021 to 2023. He won a Best Nine award as an outfielder in 2025, when he hit .284, third in the league.

    This season he played 113 games and hit .252 with 6 home runs and 33 RBIs before discomfort in his left side ended his season on Sept. 11. For his career he is a .261 hitter with 46 homers and 260 RBIs in 754 games. Registered as an infielder, he plays mostly in the outfield and can also handle first base. His estimated salary this season was 100 million yen.

    (Information as of 5:45 p.m. JST, Nov. 5)

    Related: Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura to file for domestic free agency, Lotte and Seibu reportedly interested

    Sources

  • Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura to file for domestic free agency, Lotte and Seibu reportedly interested

    Hiroshima Toyo Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura has decided to exercise his domestic free-agent rights and was expected to submit the paperwork to the club on Nov. 5, Nikkan Sports, Hochi and TV Shin-Hiroshima (via FNN) reported.

    Key points

    • Sakakura, 28, would be the first catcher in Carp history to declare free agency, according to Nikkan Sports.
    • The Chiba Lotte Marines and Saitama Seibu Lions are reportedly interested. Sakakura is from Chiba Prefecture, home of the Marines.
    • Hiroshima allows players to re-sign after declaring and plans to keep negotiating with him, both Nikkan Sports and Hochi reported.
    • He is the second Carp player to declare this offseason, a day after ace Masato Morishita. Players who file will be announced on Nov. 10, and other clubs can begin talks after that.

    The numbers

    A fourth-round pick out of Nichidai Sanko High School in the 2016 draft, Sakakura finished second in the Central League in batting in 2021 and became Hiroshima’s regular catcher from 2023. This season he played 140 games, 121 of them as the cleanup hitter, and hit .251 with 15 home runs and a career-high 74 RBIs, which led the team, according to Hochi.

    He mostly played first and third base this year, making only 16 starts behind the plate, the last on April 18.

    With an estimated salary of 140 million yen, he is expected to be a Rank B free agent, meaning a signing club would owe Hiroshima player or cash compensation, the reports said.

    (Information as of 1:30 p.m. JST, Nov. 5)

    Related: Carp ace Masato Morishita files for domestic free agency, keeps MLB dream alive

    Sources

  • Carp ace Masato Morishita files for domestic free agency, keeps MLB dream alive

    Hiroshima Toyo Carp right-hander Masato Morishita announced on Nov. 4 that he will exercise his domestic free-agent rights, the club confirmed on its official website.

    Key points

    • Morishita, 29, said he wants to hear how other clubs value him and has not decided whether to stay or leave. "I’m still torn," he told reporters at Mazda Stadium, according to Nikkan Sports.
    • Hiroshima allows him to re-sign after declaring, and talks with the Carp will continue. Nikkan Sports reported the club has offered a multi-year deal at a raise over his estimated 200 million yen salary.
    • The Yomiuri Giants and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are among clubs reported to be interested, and Hochi (via Baseball Post) also named the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Other teams can begin negotiating with him on Nov. 11.
    • This is domestic free agency, not a move to MLB. Still, Morishita has spoken before about wanting to pitch in the majors, and said he still has that dream: "I’ve always wanted to play at a higher level, so I’m thinking about that too."

    The numbers

    A former first-round pick out of Meiji University, Morishita won the Central League Rookie of the Year award in 2020 with 10 wins and started for Japan’s gold-medal team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He went 7-11 with a 3.60 ERA this season and owns a career record of 60-59 with a 2.84 ERA over seven seasons, according to Nikkan Sports and Nikkei.

    Because of his salary, he is expected to be a Rank A free agent, which would require the signing club to compensate Hiroshima with a player or cash, Baseball Post reported.

    (Information as of 12 p.m. JST, Nov. 5)

    Sources